Nats align workout schedule as they prepare for postseason opener

Nats align workout schedule as they prepare for postseason opener
The game times for the National League Division Series games against the Chicago Cubs are locked in. Game 1 Friday will begin at 7:31 p.m. Eastern time and Game 2 is set for first pitch Saturday at 5:38 p.m. Eastern time in D.C. The games will be broadcast nationally by TBS. MASN will broadcast exclusive one-hour pregame and postgame shows during each game of the playoffs. The Nationals will have workouts Tuesday and Wednesday at Nats Park. Manager Dusty Baker will meet with the media Tuesday...

Ovations aplenty in Nationals' regular season finale

Ovations aplenty in Nationals' regular season finale
The result didn't matter. The Nationals had locked up a division title three weeks ago, had locked up home-field advantage for the National League Division Series a week ago. There was a chance to match the franchise record with win No. 98, but that team pursuit took a backseat today. Unless there's something larger at stake, Game 162 is usually about individual over team. And so this afternoon's contest on South Capitol Street - an 11-8 loss to the Pirates that required a record 4 hours, 22...

Offense reminds what it can do with Werth and Zimmerman homering

Offense reminds what it can do with Werth and Zimmerman homering
The Nationals lineup was back to where it was supposed to be from opening day in a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh on Friday, minus center fielder Adam Eaton, who is out for the season with a major knee injury. The lineup delivered with a pair of electrifying innings where it contributed multiple hits -- the sixth and the eighth. The offense even put together four hits in five at-bats in the first inning to plate an early run. The game was put away in the eighth inning, when Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson...

Strasburg rolling against Pirates again (Nats win 6-1)

Strasburg rolling against Pirates again (Nats win 6-1)
Stephen Strasburg likes recording strikeouts against the Pirates. He struck out a then career-high 14 against Pittsburgh in his major league debut on June 8, 2010. On May 27, 2017, he struck out 15 against San Diego in a 3-0 win. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Strasburg struck out five of his next six batters faced. He struck out the side in the third. The Nationals put together four hits in five at-bats in the first inning. Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI double, but Daniel Murphy was tagged out at...

Werth turns sentimental in possible Philly finale

Werth turns sentimental in possible Philly finale
PHILADELPHIA - Jayson Werth insists he hadn't really thought about it, not entering this series, not even entering Wednesday night's finale. He's made 17 trips to Citizens Bank Park as a member of the Nationals over the last seven years, playing in 52 games. He has long since blocked out the emotions that used to be associated with his trips here, the booing Phillies fans who turned the outfielder into a local villain after he signed a $126 million contract with the Nationals, completely...

Kendrick haunts old team with homer (Phillies win 4-1)

Kendrick haunts old team with homer (Phillies win 4-1)
PHILADELPHIA - The middle of the Nats lineup consists of a pair of former Phillies: Howie Kendrick and Jayson Werth. Werth has been with the Nats since 2011. Kendrick came over in a mid-season deal. Kendrick got the offense going for the Nats with a solo homer to deep center field. His ninth homer of the season came on an 0-2 pitch from Phillies starter Jake Thompson to lead off the second. In the first, Bryce Harper walked in his first at-bat since Aug. 12. Anthony Rendon grounded into a 5-4-3...

October is coming: Nats dress up as "Game of Thrones" characters for final road trip

October is coming: Nats dress up as "Game of Thrones" characters for final road trip
In an effort to liven up the final road trip of the regular season to Philadelphia, the Nationals went all out dressing up as characters from the HBO show "Game of Thrones." Even if you have not seen the show and don't quite understand the references, you can't deny this is one of the best themed road trips, proving the Nats squad is ready to battle it out in October during the National League Division Series: The best full-team dress-up I've ever seen. Jayson as Jon Snow; Bryce as...

Game 154 lineups: Nats at Mets

Game 154 lineups: Nats at Mets
NEW YORK - First, the most important news of the day: Bryce Harper (along with Brian Goodwin and Stephen Drew) batted in another simulated game today, facing Nationals minor leaguers Steven Fuentes and Alex Troop. By all indications (i.e., from what I could tell from my vantage point up in the press box) things went well, which means it should be decision time for the Nats with Harper, who doesn't seem to have any more hurdles to cross before playing in an actual game. Stay tuned for any...

Nats walk their way through late rally to beat Braves (updated)

Nats walk their way through late rally to beat Braves (updated)
ATLANTA - They labored all night to even give themselves scoring opportunities. Until finally the Nationals figured out the best way to score runs against the Braves pitching staff: Stop swinging. Four consecutive walks issued by Atlanta's bullpen - three of them via Arodys Vizcaíno with the bases loaded - highlighted a wild, six-run rally in the top of the eighth that turned a tight Nationals deficit into a comfortable 7-3 victory at SunTrust Park. There were some actual hits during the...

Team weighs options for timing of Harper's return (Nats win 7-3)

Team weighs options for timing of Harper's return (Nats win 7-3)
ATLANTA - The way Bryce Harper has progressed and looked in his on-field workouts the last few days, it's only natural to wonder if the Nationals slugger may be on the verge of returning from his scary-looking left leg injury. That may prove to be the case, but manager Dusty Baker also has some words of caution for those who are ready to throw Harper right back into his starting lineup. "You don't want to jump the gun too much just because of what we've seen," Baker said. "The tendency is...

Zimmerman joins 30-100 club again (Nats win 4-2)

Zimmerman joins 30-100 club again (Nats win 4-2)
ATLANTA - Ryan Zimmerman is heating up at the plate again. Perhaps just in time to make it really count. On the heels of a two-homer performance Sunday night against the Dodgers, Zimmerman opened tonight's game against the Braves with two hits, including a double off the wall in right-center and an RBI single that has helped the Nationals take a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning. Zimmerman's double to lead off the top of the second struck the brick wall in right-center at SunTrust Park, nearly...

Hill in groove, Dodgers homer early (Nats fall 3-2)

Hill in groove, Dodgers homer early (Nats fall 3-2)
The Dodgers jumped ahead of the Nationals early for the second game in a row. Facing A.J. Cole, Cody Bellinger launched a solo homer to lead off the second inning. Coming on an 0-1 pitch, it was his 38th homer of the season. In the third, Bellinger added an RBI single that scored Chase Utley, who had doubled. Rich Hill has not allowed the Nats a base hit through three innings. Anthony Rendon walked in the second inning. Hill struck out Jayson Werth and Michael A. Taylor looking to end the...

Werth another step forward with solid at-bats in series finale

Werth another step forward with solid at-bats in series finale
Big positive for left fielder Jayson Werth who has now played two games in a row after returning from a sore shoulder. On Thursday, Werth went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the Nationals' 5-2 win over the Braves. "He had four great at-bats tonight," manager Dusty Baker said. "Flirted with the wall a couple times and he's feeling better and you see Trea (Turner) is back, he has his stuff together so our next step is to get Jayson back to himself. And then the last step is to get (Bryce Harper)...

Not a lot at stake, but Nats' series vs. Dodgers will draw attention

Not a lot at stake, but Nats' series vs. Dodgers will draw attention
It's been looming on the schedule for months, a late-season clash between the teams that have held the National League's top two records nearly the entire year. But when the Nationals and Dodgers open their weekend series tonight, there won't be as much on the line as there might have been not long ago. The combination of the Nationals' recent surge and the Dodgers' recent slide came together to take some juice away from this series. The Nats, of course, already clinched the NL East title...

Robles shows off lightning speed as Nats drop Braves

Robles shows off lightning speed as Nats drop Braves
September call-ups can give baseball fans a glimpse into the future of their club, teasing them for what might be in the next season - or for years to come. But when your top prospect comes up and is only 20, it might be too much pressure to put on his shoulders to deliver in his first few games at the sport's top level. That is certainly not the case for Victor Robles. On Thursday, Robles went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and an electrifying triple that had Nats Park in a frenzy as...

Werth provides early offense, Roark dealing (Nats win 5-2)

Werth provides early offense, Roark dealing (Nats win 5-2)
Jayson Werth's first at-bat in his return to the lineup on Wednesday was a double to left field. He continued to contribute offensively in his first trip to the plate tonight. In the bottom of the first, Trea Turner doubled to lead off the inning against Braves starter Mike Foltynewicz. Werth, moved to the two-hole, singled to bring home Turner and give the Nats an early lead. In the bottom of the second, Jose Lobaton was hit by a pitch with two outs. He limped up the first base line to take...

Extra meaningful games can pay dividends for Nats prospects in future

Extra meaningful games can pay dividends for Nats prospects in future
Every season, college basketball teams dream of earning a bid in the NCAA tournament. For teams that make it to the big dance every year, it becomes an advantage the next season because the team has extra practices and extra games that 250 other teams don't get to benefit from. A lot of young players get to play in those extra games - incredibly meaningful games - and they gain experience they would have no other way of receiving if their team did not make it to the postseason. Perennial...

Harper begins running, taking light swings; Werth returns

Harper begins running, taking light swings; Werth returns
Bryce Harper has taken a few more small but important steps in his return from a significant knee and calf injury, offering a more encouraging outlook for his chances to return to the Nationals in time for the postseason. Harper has begun light hitting and running drills, according to manager Dusty Baker, adding to his earlier throwing sessions as his first attempts at baseball activities since he injured himself Aug. 12 trying to beat out a groundball to first base. "He's hit some off the...

Game 145 lineups: Nats vs. Braves

Game 145 lineups: Nats vs. Braves
Last night was a stinker, plain and simple, for the Nationals. They looked pretty lifeless during an 8-0 loss to the Braves. Afterward, they all insisted there was nothing to read into it, it was just a bad game and not a reflection of a team suffering from a letdown after Sunday's clincher. We'll find out tonight if that's true, or if it really is tough to get yourself hyped up again when you've already clinched and still have three weeks of the regular season to go. It doesn't hurt to...

Five Nats who still have something to prove before October

Five Nats who still have something to prove before October
There are team-oriented objectives for the Nationals over the season's final three weeks, but there also are individually oriented objectives that will help determine how this team looks once it reaches the postseason. With that in mind, let's take a look at five players for whom this final stretch carries some extra weight, even with the Nationals having already clinched the division crown... WILMER DIFO The dynamic infielder is going to make the postseason roster; he has earned that spot...